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BMC Geriatrics

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01-12-2020 | Nutrition | Research article

Prevalence and factors associated with frailty in hospitalized older patients

Authors: Sonia Hammami, Amira Zarrouk, Cecile Piron, Ioana Almas, Nabil Sakly, Veronique Latteur

Published in: BMC Geriatrics | Issue 1/2020

Abstract

Background

Frailty is a multidimensional syndrome that leads to an increase of an age-related disorder of several physiological systems, and cognitive abilities decline. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of frailty among older persons in Belgium and we examined the factors associated with frailty with a principal focus en cognitive, dietary status, and inflammatory parameters.

Methods

A total of 124 participants (90 women, 34 men; age: mean ± SD: 85.9 ± 5.5 years) were studied, recruited from the Geriatrics department, Belgium. Nutritional, cognitive status and physical activity were assessed using Mini Mental State Examination score (MMSE), Mini Nutritional Assessment score (MNA), and Katz score, respectively. Frailty syndrome was evaluated using the modified Short Emergency Geriatric Assessment (SEGA) score. Medication and medical history were recorded. Analyzed biochemical parameters included C-reactive protein (CRP), complete blood count, blood creatinine, vitamin D level, and serum protein electrophoresis. According to SEGA score, participants were divided into non-frail (n = 19), frail (n = 25) and severely frail patients (n = 80).

Results

The SEGA score was inversely correlated with MMSE, MNA and Katz score. SEGA.

score was negatively correlated to albumin levels (r = − 0.30; p < 0.001) and positively correlated to CRP, polypharmacy and age (r = 0.28, r = 0.37, r = 0.33 and p < 0.01 respectively). Logistic regression showed a strong association between frailty, Katz score, dementia, polypharmacy and living in nursing home.

Conclusion

Our results provide useful information for understanding mechanisms of frailty. This will help to develop preventive strategies for the elderly at the pre-frailty stage.

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Title: Prevalence and factors associated with frailty in hospitalized older patients
Authors: Sonia Hammami
Amira Zarrouk
Cecile Piron
Ioana Almas
Nabil Sakly
Veronique Latteur
Publication date: 01-12-2020
Publisher: BioMed Central
Keywords: Nutrition
Dementia
Dementia
Geriatric Assessment
Published in: BMC Geriatrics / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2318
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01545-4

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